Does Nintendo count as Technology Integration?

As more and more technology becomes available as resources for teachers to use within their classroom, many may struggle with the question "how do I integrate technology into the classroom in a way that will benefit my students the most?". Many teachers may in fact question what counts as technology integration. Can a Nintendo count for technology? Is it ok to use the internet for my students to play games? Does word-processing count? There are so many different ways that a teacher can use technology in the classroom and although there is not one right answer of how to benefit the students the most, there definitely are some ways in which technology integration can provide more benefits to it's users than others. For instance, a teacher asking students to formulate a research report by using a word-processing program could classify as some sort of technology integration, however, this method may not challenge the students to their full potential. Perhaps a better project may be for the teacher to ask his or her students to create a posting on-line in which they can display information about a certain topic and allow for their peers to respond by using a forum. As stated in the articles linked on line, there are many different ways to use technology integration within the classroom. The more familiar a teacher is with varying methods of using technology, the more likely she will be to challenge her students to use these methods as well.

This brings me to my next point of how technology integration can face many barriers within a classroom setting. Not only is much of the material on-line inaccessible to our students because of parental controls (which are a good thing to have in place), many students become limited with their classroom use of technology because their own teacher is not familiar with how various programs and sources may work. It is important for a teacher to be familiar with the different methods of technology that are available in order to pass these methods on to her class. As the article on the integration of technology in social studies states: "[teachers] become facilitators of technology". It is important to remember that teachers do not need to know everything about a certain method of technology in order to integrate it, but rather just need to know the basics in order to benefit a class.